Police charge two teenagers with stealing seven cars from repair lot in Northwest Washington

A view of a D.C. police car. (Peter Hermann/The Washington Post)

Two 16-year-old boys have been arrested in connection with a January break-in at a car repair shop in Northwest Washington and the theft of seven vehicles, all of which have been recovered, according to D.C. police.

Authorities said the youths were charged with burglary. Because they are juveniles, their identities were not made available. Police said they are searching for a third person believed to be involved.

Police said the break-in occurred about 1 a.m. on Jan. 9 when a person in a van plowed through a gate in the back lot of the Caliber Collision Center in the 6200 block of Chillum Place NW, near the Manor Park neighborhood.

A police report said the youths then drove the stolen vehicles out through the open gate. Police said employees had left keys in the vehicles.

Taken were a 2017 Mini Clubman, a 2016 Ford Fusion, a 2014 Honda CRV, a 2015 Audi Q5, a 2016 Volvo S60, a 1997 Mercedes E420 and a 2003 Honda Accord. Police put the value of each vehicle at $10,000.

Police said the vehicles were later found unoccupied at different locations covered by the 4th District station, which includes neighborhoods in Upper Northwest, east of Rock Creek Park, and parts of Northeast Washington.

Stephen Klein, who lives in Northwest, said he took his red Ford Fusion to the Caliber Collision office on Georgia Avenue after another motorist backed into his front bumper.

He said his insurance company recommended the auto shop, which transferred the vehicle from the Georgia Avenue location to its repair shop on Chillum Place.

“I brought it in one night, and the next morning some guy called me and said my car had been stolen,” Klein said. His vehicle was found in an alley in early February, without its license plates.

Klein said his vehicle was scratched and “trashed inside.” He said, “I think they slept in it.” He said some of his Beethoven symphony recordings were stolen, along with a collection of his son’s music CDs.

Klein said that after police recovered his car, he took it back to Caliber Collision for repairs and a new paint job. He said he did not pay either for the repairs or for his insurance deductible.

“I was very appreciative of the work they did,” said Klein, a retired employee of the U.S. Agency for International Development. “The situation was very frustrating, but the car runs well.”

A message left for comment at Caliber Collison was not returned.